BRO is working hard to reopen the Manali – Leh Highway this year (2017) as soon as possible and is hopeful that it would be able to reopen Rohtang Pass by last week of April and Manali – Leh Highway by end of May.

The first crucial step of reopening Manali – Leh Highway is to reopen Rohtang Pass for vehicular traffic. Since Rohtang Pass is not only a crucial pass for people heading to Leh, but also for those traveling to Lahaul, Spiti and Pangi Valleys.

Two BRO teams are currently working to reopen the Rohtang Jot (known in the local language as a heap of dead bodies).

Manali team has managed to reach Rani Nallah glacier point, which is one of the hardest stretches to open due to the amount of snow and presence of the glacier. Once the team is able to clear this point, clearing rest of the highway till Rohtang Pass would be comparatively easy.

BRO team from Keylong has managed to reach Gramphu, where the road bifurcates into two highways, one leading to Leh and another to Kunzum Pass and Kaza. Clearance of the stretch between Gramphu and Rohtang Pass is difficult as well due to bad terrain and high accumulation of snow.

While the weather over the next month is going to be the most crucial factor in determining whether or not BRO is able to clear the highway on time. A lot of variables are at play at the moment and for those planning a trip to Ladakh, it is best to plan one in June.